OpenAI Signals Renewed Momentum as ChatGPT Usage Surges Again

The internal note, reviewed by CNBC, also revealed that OpenAI is preparing to release an updated Chat model within days, another signal that the company is accelerating product development to stay ahead of rivals.

ChatGPT Crosses 800 Million Weekly Users

According to Altman’s message, ChatGPT is now used by more than 800 million people every week, underscoring its position as the most widely adopted consumer AI product globally. But the scale comes with rising pressure.

Competition in generative AI has intensified sharply. Google’s Gemini app surpassed 750 million monthly users toward the end of last year, while Anthropic has continued to gain traction, particularly among technical users and developers.

The race is no longer just about chatbots it is increasingly about who owns the developer workflow.

Coding Tools Become the New Battleground

Nowhere is the competition more visible than in AI-powered coding tools. Altman told staff that Codex, OpenAI’s coding assistant, grew by roughly 50% in a single week, a surge he described as insane.

Codex directly competes with Anthropic’s Claude Code, which has seen strong adoption over the past year, especially within engineering teams. The rapid growth suggests OpenAI is clawing back momentum in a segment where rivals had begun to dominate mindshare.

Fuelling that momentum is the recent release of GPT-5.3-Codex, a new version of Codex launched last week. The update appears to be resonating with developers at a time when AI-assisted coding is becoming table stakes across the software industry.

From Growth Anxiety to Product Acceleration

The upbeat internal message comes after a period of strategic recalibration at OpenAI. In December, the company reorganised teams and reallocated resources toward improving ChatGPT, responding to signs that competitors were narrowing the gap in both user growth and feature depth.

Since then, OpenAI’s strategy has focused on two parallel goals: keeping users engaged on the consumer side while expanding paid tiers and business services that can sustain long-term revenue growth.

Advertising and Monetization Move Forward

As part of that push, OpenAI is moving ahead with plans to introduce advertising within ChatGPT for some users in the United States. The company has emphasised that ads will be clearly labelled, displayed at the bottom of responses, and will not influence the chatbot’s answers.

The move signals a broader shift toward diversified monetisation as OpenAI scales beyond subscription revenue.

Investor Talks and Funding Plans Continue

Behind the scenes, Altman and chief financial officer Sarah Friar have been briefing investors on OpenAI’s performance as the company works to close a major funding round. CNBC previously reported that discussions involve several large technology firms, with the deal potentially being finalised in stages.

The valuation, structure, and final terms remain fluid and subject to change.

Read More: OpenAI Launches ChatGPT App Directory and SDK, Recasting ChatGPT as a Full-Fledged Platform

A Clear Message to Staff

For now, the internal message to employees was straightforward: usage growth has returned, new products are shipping quickly, and OpenAI believes it has regained momentum in a crowded and fast-moving market.

In an industry where leadership can shift in months, OpenAI is signalling that it is once again playing offence, not defence.